Katy Perry had her biggest fan on-hand Wednesday as she received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.
The 143 artist performed an energetic 20-minute set of some of her greatest hits at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards following a sweet introduction from her husband Orlando Bloom.
“You fell in love with her as Katy Perry. I fell in love with her as Katherine Hudson,” he started. “You know her as a global superstar who brings love, light and her unique sense of humor to every song she writes and music video she creates.
“I know her as a mother, as a partner who brings that same love and joy to our family. In moments when we’ve most needed it, her music and the remarkable world she creates have brought a sense of joy and laughter, inspiring generations of people from all over the world. She loves with her whole heart, and it’s kind of irresistible. I see her reflected everywhere in our home, in her love for her work, but especially in her love for her fans. Congratulations on this honor, baby, I’m so proud of you. 143!” added Bloom.
Bloom presented his wife with the award after she served a medley of her songs ‘Dark Horse’, ‘E.T.’, ‘I’m His, He’s Mine’ with Doechii, ‘California Gurls’, ‘Teenage Dream’, ‘I Kissed a Girl’, ‘Firework’ and ‘Lifetimes’, all of which she performed “on the first day of my period.”
Katy Perry performs during the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 11, 2024 in Elmont, New York. (John Shearer/Getty Images for MTV)
“Who’s looking after hour daughter?” Perry joked to Bloom, who responded, “Oh, I thought you were.”
Perry said in her speech, “Thank you so much to MTV for believing in my weirdness from day one and for helping artists extend their worlds beyond a song. There are so many things that have to align to have a long and successful career as an artist. There are no decade-long accidents.”
She thanked her longtime team at Direct Management, her label Capitol Records, her parents, her family, Myspace, Warped Tour and “all the bygone places where I found a voice, identity and community so early on. Thank you to my friends who were there when my Jetta was repossessed. My Katy Kats who stood by me for a lifetime and the LGBTQ community who I recognize that I would not be here without, and who showed me you can be both kind and c—. Thank you to Orlando for keeping me grounded, celebrated and doing the dishes. And lastly, for my Daisy, the only flowers I’ll ever need.
“I’m excited when I look around music today and I see all the amazing young artists who are operating with confidence, agency, vulnerability and authenticity. I’ve heard a lot of ‘Do this, don’t say that, wear less, wear more now, hey don’t cut your hair.’ One of the biggest reasons I’m standing here right now is I learned how to block out all the noise that every single artist in this industry has to constantly fight against, especially women. I just want to say with my whole heart, do whatever it takes to stay true to yourself and true to your art. Turn off social media, safeguard your mental health, pause, touch grass… and do what you were born to do just like I was born to do this,” added Perry.
Perry releases her seventh studio album 143 on Sept. 20, her first in four years following 2020’s Smile.
